Dakota's Legend
by DarkFaerieNyroc13
Summary: An action/adventure/romance story following a teen shinobi in her quest to find who she really is, monster and all... Rated T for angst, violence, and the occasional bad word. I dare you to read it. /DISCONTINUED.
1. On Darkness I Will Thrive

**DISCLAIMER:** **I own nothing! Naruto is the copy righted material of Kishimoto-sensei. I claim nothing in the original series and give all credit to Kishimoto-sensei. So away with ye, foul lawyers!**

**I DO, however, own all villages, weapons, characters, demon spirits, ideas, etc., that are NOT in the original manga and/or anime of Naruto. I have copy rights. You copy, you claim, I find out, I sue, end of story. And trust me, I will find out. Then I will smite. Oh, how I will smite.**

**WARNINGS:****Language, violence, possible angst. OOC-ness. Original Characters. And explosions. Lots of explosions.**

**NOTES:****This story takes place after the Shippuden Time Skip. At this point, Sasuke has long-since already left Konoha. Akatsuki is at large. Definite romance in later chapters: NaruHina, SakuOC. No yaoi or yuri will ever take place in this fic. **

**I'm not so great with disclaimers and junk, but the story is rather good. Read and Review.**

**Enjoy!**

**-Nyroc**

* * *

"You will never know what is impossible if you never attempt to try."

* * *

**Chapter one:**

**On darkness I will thrive**

* * *

_The girl's black eyes opened upon a dark world. She seemed to be floating in her surroundings, in a cold, black abyss. In front of her, two large, fire-green eyes opened, illuminating the bars of the cage in which _**it**_ was locked. The monster gave a growling laugh, looking at it's keeper._

"_Well, well.. It's been a while hasn't it, Motaki?," The creature grinned, baring its fangs, "Not going to die again, are you?"_

_The girl closed her eyes as a smirk began to spread across her face. The demon waited impatiently for an answer, one which it knew it would not receive._

_"What's wrong, Motaki? Cat got your toungue?," The evil grin slid farther across the demon's white face, revealing the seven pairs of razor-sharp fangs that lined the top of its mouth._

_Motaki reopened her eyes, the crimson glow that issued from deep in the core of her pupils barely visible. Finally she spoke._

_"Do you want out, Kuyrura?," She asked simply, her smile fading._

_The demon laughed, "Want out? Come, now, Motaki. Surely you must know me better than that? Seven years and you're still asking the same question? ...," The creature looked up at the girl, its emerald eyes gleaming into the darkness._

_"Seven years and you're still giving me the same answer." The girl replied flatly._

_Kuyrura sighed. "Alright, pup. What's in it for me?" _

_Obsidian eyes gazed into emerald ones, thinking for a moment. "How about... a longer life?"_

_Kuyrura's green orbs took on a look of slight shock when her captor said this. "You didn't."_

_"I did."_

_The wolf groaned, rolling her eyes. She knew she had no choice but to give in to the girl's games._

_"Do you want out, Kuyrura?," Motaki repeated patiently._

_The wolf thought for several more moments before finally replying, "Yes."_

_Motaki smirked, taking time to calculate the numbers in her head. She turned her gaze towards the lock that held the gates closed. "You have thirteen minutes."_

_Kuyrura closed her eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this?," she asked quietly, "It will only leave you with six more."_

_"Positive."_

_The demon sighed. "Alright. Whenever you're ready."_

_Motaki closed her eyes to the darkness and began muttering the incantation that would open the seal on the gates:_

_**"Darkness, hatred, grudge I hold,**_

_**slay the new, awake the old.**_

_**Phantoms from within thy core,**_

_**let me hear their screams no more."**_

* * *

A sizzling sensation dug into the girl's back as her black eyes snapped open. She felt the wound on her stomach begin to pull itself closed, stinging painfully as it healed. A resounding _THUD_ to her left told her that one of her team mates had been hit. Hard. '_Thirteen minutes, Kuyrura,' _Motaki thought, and subsided into unconsciousness, letting the demon posses her fully.

"Alright," Kuyrura muttered, taking over Motaki's body as the spider webbed design of the Eight-Point Hex Seal spread over her body. She rose slowly, turning her now emerald gaze to her opponent. She flexed her fingers. "Lochinvyrr Acari Calypso Nachtmagen," she murmured, vibrant green chakra engulfing her hands.

"Finally come out of your shell then, Kuyrura?," her opponent taunted. The girl smirked, examining her foe.

"Well, well. Long time no see, Kabuto," she stated in a bored tone, "What brings you to this end of the fight?"

Kabuto chuckled. "You."

The demon-possessed girl sighed and vanished, re-appearing behind the silver-haired medic. Kabuto just barely managed to dodge the attack before failing at a counter-strike. He slid to the other end of the forest clearing and sighed.

"I guess I'm still no match for you, huh?," he muttered, turning to go.

"Leaving so soon?," Kuyrura taunted.

"Lord Orochimaru will be waiting for me, and I must see to the boy's wounds. We shall see each other soon, I assume?," he asked the girl.

"You would do well to hope not."

"I will take that as a no," he murmured to himself, vanishing in a cloud of smoke. Kuyrura sighed as the marks of the Hex Seal retracted and the demon slipped back into unconsciousness. The girl's limp body collapsed as Motaki regained control.

'_That was not thirteen minutes, Kuyrura. Next time I let you out, at least use the full time that I give you,' _the kunoichi thought irritably, sitting up. She looked around just in time to hear the loud _THWHACK_ that rang out as her red-haired team mate whopped her on the head.

"Hey! What was that for?!," Motaki shouted, glaring into his sapphire eyes.

"Because we told you to stop wasting all of your fricking lives, that's why," he replied playfully. Motaki simply gave him a death glare.

"Yeah, but you really didn't have to hit her, Lakota. She'll be crabby all day now and take out her anger on me. And when she kills me, I'll come back and haunt you forever and it will all be your fault. All because you did something extremely stupid and senseless," commented a black-haired figure as he walked into the clearing. He shot a piercing look at Lakota before helping Motaki to her feet.

"Aw, but it wasn't sensless, Zyc! I had the perfect excuse to hit Motaki, so I used it," he whined childishly. "It makes perfect sense!"

"_Perfect sense to who?...," _Motaki asked herself, brushing off her khaki shorts. She paused, turning suddenly to her still-bickering team mates. "Where's Sasuke?" It was more of a demand than a question.

Zyc blinked. "He ran off after you blacked out," he stated.

Motaki's face adopted a look of slight confusion. "I blacked out?"

"Died, actually," Lakota replied casually, bending to pick up a kunai. He returned his gaze to the female member of his team. "Your seal hurting?," he asked, marks of concern touching his face.

The girl sighed, reminded of the pain she had endured last time. "Not yet." She knew it would later.

* * *

The team of three approached the village gates, studying the engravings carefully. Lakota sighed, thankful for having reached their destination.

"Konohagakure no sato..."

* * *

**End chapter one. **

**Kind of short, ne? There's not much mention of Naruto in this chapter, but starting with the next one there will be. The battle was short, too...**

**Like? No? Let me know. Not too confusing, I hope.**

**Please review! I don't like writing if nobody likes my work.**

**-Nyroc**

* * *

**TO CLEAR THINGS UP...**

**Pronunciations:**

**Kuyrura: coy-ROO-ruh ('coy' rhymes with 'toy')**

**Motaki: mo-TOK-ee ('mo' rhymes with 'foe', 'tok' rhymes with 'dock')**

**Lakota: luh-COTE-uh ('cote' as in 'coat', the name as in 'Lakota Souix' Native Americans)**

**Zyc: ZEEK (rhymes with geek)**

**Lochinvyrr Acari Calypso Nachtmagen: means "Soul Stealer Jutsu". You'll find out more about it in later chapters. Use your imagination for how to pronounce it.**

**Just clearing things up for the sounding-it-out-impared... like me. Seriously, it'd be so much easier to read a story if I knew how to pronounce all the big words.**


	2. First Impressions

**Much to my depression, I own nothing. -sits in corner and begins to sob-**

**Inaria: You know, Nyroc, if you keep that up the mortals will think they're hearing voices...**

**-glares- So?! They're mortals!**

**Inaria: Then they'll be rushed off to the asylum...**

**What's you're point?**

**Inaria: Then they won't be able to read your stories anymore...**

**-scowls resentfully- ...stupid water faeries...**

* * *

"Those who are powerless want power; those who have power want it not."

* * *

**Chapter two:**

**First Impressions**

* * *

Motaki looked over as her team mate spoke the words. They stood for several long moments, examining the engravings on the gates. The marks were subtle, barely there. But time could do little to wash away their presence.

"Let's go," the girl ordered, adjusting the mask that covered half of her face. She stalked over to the small desk that was located to her left, just inside the gates. One of the men looked up from a game of tic-tac-toe when she approached. Confusion danced across his face as he examined the forehead protector that hung from her neck, obviously unfamiliar with the symbol.

Lakota and Zyc walked up to stand behind her, masks also adorning their features. "Hidden Shade, unit seven. The Hokage requested an audience with the first available unit."

The leaf shinobi nodded, flipping his make-shift game board over and scribbling the entry on his list before pointing to his left. "Follow the main road until it stops and hang a right. Then it's the third building on the left."

"Thank you."

The trio rounded and began to make their way through the large village, ignoring the odd stares that the people freely gave out. "This place is huge." After several long, silent minutes, Lakota's soft voice startled Motaki and Zyc out of their visual exploration.

"Yeah," was the only response he got. He glanced at his comrades.

Zyc was walking with his eyes closed, face turned up to the sky. Motaki's eyes held a vacant look as she stared into the open air. She glanced over at him, their eyes locking for a long moment. Concern once again touched his semi-concealed features. "It's hurting, isn't it?"

Motaki felt Zyc's gaze instantly upon her as soon as the words left Lakota's lips. She looked away to help shoulder the pressure and nodded once, staying silent. She didn't want them to hear her voice crack. Both of her team mates returned their gazes to the ground.

"So, why are we here, again?," Zyc's question broke the uneasy silence.

Lakota rolled his sapphire eyes as he attempted to begin to explain their mission for the sixteenth time that day. "Remember, smart one? We're supposed to deliv--"

"We're here," Motaki said, cutting him off. She didn't break pace as she began to climb the steps.

"It always creeps me out the way she does that. It's like she's fearless, just going on without stopping. Sometimes she reminds me of a ghost," Zyc muttered to Lakota. He made sure to stay at least five steps behind his kunoichi friend.

"No argument there. But I thought she always acted kind of like a snake, ne?"

Neither one was paying attention to their surroundings until both were 'clothes-lined' by an irritated Motaki. Her contemptuous obsidian glare held them still. "I heard that," she growled. She knocked softly on the door before them (another detail both boys had missed) and was greeted with an equally soft, "Come in." She twisted the doorknob and opened it silently as the trio stepped inside. All three bowed respectfully before approaching a desk that was positioned directly in front of a set of great bay windows.

"That was fast," the blonde Hokage murmured, putting aside her paperwork.

Motaki smirked underneath her mask. "We get that a lot."

"I guess you do."

Motaki's eyes held a vacant expression as she examined the Hokage's gaze. _'She's so... apprehensive...' _the thoughts traced the edges of her mind. She blinked and pulled a scroll from her weapon pouch. Handing it to the Hokage, she explained briefly, "Everything you need to know is included. You will need to read it by the time that we leave in three days."

Tsunade nodded briefly and accepted the scroll, setting it aside. "So, before we begin, shall we introduce ourselves? You may call me Lady Hokage or Tsunade, whichever you prefer," she spoke, turning to face the red haired member of the trio.

"Kaitseiga Lakota. Chuunin Medic," he stated, pulling down his mask. He flashed her a smile and turned to the other boy of the trio.

Zyc sighed, removing his mask as well. He opened his pale lavender eyes, which had been closed before then. "Hyuuga Zyc. Chuunin Weapon Master."

Tsunade smiled, "Welcome back." She turned to Motaki.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when the door banged open behind her. She flipped her head around in time to see a blond haired boy burst into the room, followed by a girl with short, bubblegum pink hair. The boy shoved past her and slammed his palms down on the desk, beginning to rant about a mislead trail and a dog and some other bunch of nonsense, but it had lost her attention immediately. As soon as he had touched her, she felt a stinging jolt shoot through the Hex Seal that was tattooed on her back, and closed her eyes tightly to hide the pain.

"_Kestes amada?" _Zyc's soft voice rang through her head, asking if she was alright. She nodded stiffly, rolling her shoulder blades. Opening her eyes, she noticed that a vein in the Hokage's forehead was threatening to pop, as was the case with the pink-haired girl. Tsunade's irritated voice immediately shut him up.

"Uzumaki, how many times must I tell you to knock before entering my office?" It seemed more like a statement than a question. The Uzumaki boy's cheeks tinted a dull pink color and he looked away, obviously embarrassed, and muttered a quiet apology. Tsunade turned back to Motaki.

The girl spoke politely, "Jonin Rogue Alpha. My name is irrelevant at the current moment."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly, but she let it go. She turned back to the Uzumaki boy, "So, Naruto, what exactly were you saying earlier?"

'Naruto' immediately resumed his rantings, then began to complain about being the only genin in his age class and many other irrelevant topics. Motaki sighed heavily and interrupted him when his mushed sentences broke.

"Lady Hokage, may we be dismissed?," she asked cooley, ignoring Naruto completely. Tsunade nodded in response. The three Shade ninja bowed politely before turning to exit. Nauto grabbed Motaki's arm in one swift movement, holding her back. This annoyed her more than the electric shocks that were coursing through her Hex Seal. She didn't bother turning around to face him.

"What," It was a demand, not a question.

"What is your problem?," he growled.

"I'm not going to waste half of my day waiting for a break in your rantings. It's really not a difficult concept to grasp," came her curt reply. She could hear Naruto's heartbeat quicken with anger.

"Who the _hell _do you think you are?"

That's when she snapped her cool. Motaki shook off his grip and slid off her mask before whipping around to meet his sapphire scowl with her own obsidian glare.

"I'm Uchiha Motaki of the Phantom Elements."

A look of shock came from her answer before she stepped out of the silent room.

* * *

**Like? No? Review, please. I don't think anyone reads my work, so it would help if I knew that people did. So just take those ten seconds and click that little button for me.**

**Inaria: Also, we'd like to give a shout-out to GuardianMariner, the ONLY person who felt like reviewing. Thank you very much for that.**

**Yup. Thanks to the ONLY person. Not even Inaria reviewed.**

**Inaria: -adopts a look of shock- H-Huh? W-What do y-you mean? Of c-course I reviewed!**

**Yeah. You and the dust bunnies.**

**Let me know how you liked it. I'll try to have the next chapter up by the twentieth at the latest. Keep reading and reviewing!**

**-Nyroc**


	3. This Life I Pay For

**Yeah, I am aware of the fact that It's been almost two months since I updated. I'm not even on the second chapter of my other story, either...**

**Arelia: Nyroc, quit ranting, please.**

**Huh? Oh, yeah! Our special guest today just happens to be Arelia. She's a light faerie--the last of them--and kind of annoying. And she's old, too. And she likes trees...**

**Arelia: -hits Nyroc on head- Hey, I'm not that old! And I'm younger than you, you antique!**

**Wow... I never realized that insults were part of your vocabulary...**

**Arelia: -hits Nyroc even harder-**

**YEOWCH! Would you STOP! Jeez... Just say the disclaimer...**

**Arelia: -sighs melodramatically- Nyroc doesn't own Naruto. He only owns a few **_**thousand **_**spell books that he won't let me read, the plot line, the original characters, a few more spell books, and all of the dust bunnies beneath his bed.**

**Hey, I do not have dust bunnies beneath my bed. I cleaned my chambers yesterday, I'll have you know.**

**Arelia: **_**Sure **_**you did...**

_**-**_**sighs**_**- Anyways... **_**Please read and review. Flames will be accepted for waiting so long to update.**

* * *

"As I have loved you, so you must love one another" - John 13: 34

* * *

**Chapter three**

**This life I pay for**

* * *

"You want us to leave you alone?"

"Yeah."

"You positive?"

"Zyc, I'll be fine."

"I know, but..."

"But what?"

"Nothing."

"Spit it out."

Zyc sighed and remained silent.

"Zyc, tell me. That's an order."

"We worry about you, that's all."

Motaki sighed and turned her obsidian gaze onto her team mates. "You two worry too much," she said emotionlessly. Lakota sighed.

"We'll be at training ground seven if you need us."

"Whatever. I'm going home," she watched as her team mates sped off to train without her with a feeling of slight regret and turned onto the narrow path that led to the docks, following the muscle memory of her childhood to guide her. Letting her mind drift, she began running through the hand seals to some of her techniques in her head. Her head began to buzz as her hex seal started to sting. She looked up as she reached the edge of the forest that opened onto the Uchiha Grounds, and groaned.

"You're slow for a jonin," an all-too-familiar orange-clad ninja spoke, a high percentage of attitude in his voice.

"You're annoying for a genin."

The boy named Naruto clenched his teeth in silent fury as he rose from his cross-legged position five meters away. "How did you know I was a genin?" he demanded.

Motaki smirked beside her growing pain. "Actually, I know a lot about you."

"Yeah? Name five things," he growled, balling his fists. Motaki watched a wicked sneer cross his face and grinned even wider.

"Your name is Uzumaki Naruto. You have blond hair, blue eyes, and are about 165 centimeters tall. You are the only genin left in your particular age class because you were training with a perverted toad summoner for almost two years. You are team mates with Haruno Sakura, your unit commander is Hatake Kakashi, your replacement for a lost team mate is an annoying boy named Sai, you lost a team mate to the snake summoner Orochimaru, and you have an extremely bad attitude. Shall I continue?"

Motaki watched smugly as Naruto stared at her. "How did you..."

She shrugged. "I do as I am trained. Rogues analyze their surroundings absolutely and without question."

Naruto's expression immediately changed from awe to fury.

"Speaking of questions, what is your problem?"

Motaki sighed and clenched her fists as another bite of pain shot through her central nervous system. She looked up to fix Naruto in a silent glare, "Look, Uzumaki, I'm not in the mood to entertain right now. Do you mind if we continue this later?"

"Yes."

Of course. She had already known the answer before she asked. Her teeth ground together as another wave of pain ripped through her. Growling inwardly, she walked past the boy stiffly and made a direct line for the water in the small lake on the Uchiha grounds. Of course, Naruto grabbed her arm. Skin to skin.

The girl's scream peirced the evening air as her hex seal cut its way to the surface. Yanking out of the startled boy's grip, she let a steady stream of choice curses slip from her mouth as she gripped the tops of her shoulder in a vain attempt to rub the pain away from her upper back. She could feel the warm blood begin to trickle down her spine.

Naruto was staring at her now, a look of complete shock plastered on his face. "What the hell...?" Motaki did not answer as her hands dropped down in front of her body to rigidly form several complicated hand seals.

"Glacious arrest."

Ice began to curve its way up her subtly muscular arms and spread across her back, chasing after the spider web shaped markings that stretched over her body. Motaki sighed halfheartedly at the slight relief. Only her skin hurt this time, and her pre-existing headache didn't count. She turned an almost apocalyptic glare onto Naruto. She didn't bother to sugar-coat her almost-accusation.

"What are you?"

Regret crossed the boy's face as he looked down in shame. "It's a long story."

"I've got time to kill."

He sighed. She could tell that he didn't like this subject, but she wasn't going to let him out of the loop now. She was in _way_more pain than she should have been. Naruto walked over to a nearby tree and sank down, leaning against it. Motaki followed stiffly, the ice that covered her body cracking and refreezing as she moved. She sat down opposite him as he began to tell his story.

* * *

"Kyuubi...," Motaki murmured softly, repeating the name. It had been almost an hour now, though the pain had not started to ebb. The unmelting sheet of frozen water that clung to her skin was beginning to grow warm as her chakra was slowly drained from her tired body. She let her vision trail to the edge of the water. "I'm sorry. I had no idea..."

"Don't worry about it," Naruto's voice was calm and steady, though she could tell that he was having trouble keeping it from breaking. A smile darted across his face and lit his sapphire eyes. "So, what are you?"

Motaki laughed breathlessly. "That's a _very _long story."

He grinned and repeated her own words. "I've got time to kill."

Motaki sighed lightly and began to organize her thoughts. "You know who Uchiha Sasuke is, right?"

Naruto nodded as sadness and pain flashed across his face. "He's the one who left."

The girl nodded solemnly, and a small, painful smile played with the corners of her lips. "He's my younger brother."

* * *

**Hey, let me know if you liked it. Yes, I will gladly accept flames for taking so long to update. It beats the silent treatment that you guys usually put me through. -scowls accusingly at Guardian and Fanatic- **_**Especially **_**you two...**

**Arelia: Well, maybe if you updated more often than you do, people wouldn't have second thoughts about reviewing. Oh, and Guardian's probably angry now.**

**Yeah. Guardian can deal with it. Oh, and by the way, Author doesn't own Arelia. Guardian does.**

**Arelia: Oh, so now I'm being **_**owned **_**by people? Whatever happened to democracy?**

**It went down the drain along with freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.**

**Arelia: We can still bear arms, though...**

**With the way the elections are going? Not for long.**

**Please review. If there's anybody out there who actually reads this and is mad at me for taking so long, tell me. Please. Go ahead and rant. Or if you're not mad, review anyways. Seriously. It takes, like, thirty seconds. And I tried extra hard to make this chapter longer, which isn't exactly easy when you have writer's block for two months on top of school, jobs, social lives, and waiting for the stupid filler episodes to stop or the next volume of manga to be released so I have a small bit of inspiration.**

**Arelia: What was that about ranting...?**

**-glares at Arelia- Please review. If I don't get any more for this chapter I'll go insane. So please, preserve my sanity and click that magical little button.**

**Until next time,**

**Nyroc**


	4. Crush Me

**Hello, again, mortals! Well, at least I hope you are mortal... Well, for the **_**one **_**person in the world who acknowledges my existence, Naricissa-san, to answer your question. Since you asked me where "Dakota's Legend" came from... don't ask me that. It's actually an inside joke, but mortals are not supposed to be on the inside of the inside joke. Because you are on the outside. That is why they call them **_**inside **_**jokes...**

**Arelia: **_**What **_**was that about ranting?**

**Wha?!?! **_**WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!?!**_

**Arelia: Guardian was boring so I came here to practice spells with Inaria. Have you seen her?**

**Oh. No, I have not seen Inaria. And, much to my prolonged distaste, I still do not own Naruto. If only...**

**Arelia: -adopts look of shock- Oh, no! You are **_**not **_**going to taint Kishimoto-sensei with your dark magic.**

**-narrows eyes- And what if I do?**

**Arelia: -sighs and begins to beat wings- Do you really want to ask that question, friend?**

**-gulp- Uh... enjoy and review.**

**.....please?**

**-Nyroc**

**

* * *

**

"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." I Corinthians 13: 6-7

* * *

**Chapter four**

**Crush Me**

**

* * *

**

"You know Sasuke? Where is he? Is he okay? Did--"

"Shut Up!" The boy's instant stream of questions sent throbbing pains through Motaki's head. She uncovered her ears to glare at him.

"Sorry...?," Naruto looked somewhat hopeful. "So. Long story. Right."

Motaki sighed melodramatically. "So. Sasuke is my younger brother, making Itachi-san the eldest. I got angry a couple of times and left home to go to the Shade Village. Following?"

Naruto nodded.

"Okay. So, in a nutshell, I got to the Hidden Shade Village when I was eight years old. When I was nine, the twin demon spirits, Buchai and Kuyrura, attacked our village. Buchai already had a sealer, so I volunteered to stop Kuyrura. She was sealed inside of me and gave me eight extra lives to spend as I please. Right now, I'm suffering the pain of the second one."

Naruto blinked in disbelief. His gaze flicked out to the water, and then back to Motaki's now-calm face. "You... volnteered?"

Motaki nodded.

Naruto shook his head quickly as if he had water in his ears. He looked at the girl in an almost accusing gesture. "Why?"

A sly smile began to spread across Motaki's lips. "Why not? I felt like I owed the Shade a debt. So I paid it. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense."

Naruto shook his head even more rapidly. "It doesn't make sense. You had a normal life and you gave it up. Why?"

Motaki blinked at the remorse in his tone. Then she threw her head back and laughed, "Naruto, my friend, you really don't understand human nature at all, do you?"

Naruto stared at her.

Motaki sighed as she regained her composure and smiled at him comfortingly. "Those who are powerless want power; those who have power want it not. We have the power to make a difference, Naruto. You need to learn that. Being a jinchuuriki is not a curse; it's a blessing."

Naruto blinked as a smirk streched across his face. "You sound like a feudal philosopher."

Motaki laughed again. "I get that a lot."

Naruto's expression then softened slightly. "Do you ever feel..." he trailed off, searching for the right word, "alone?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I know that I'm not the only one."

* * *

The sun filtered through the trees to hit the trail on which the two boys walked.

"She should have been here by now."

Zyc glanced across at his team mate and shrugged. "You know that Motaki takes her own time. Besides, she _is_ suffering right now, so give her a break."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean?"

Lakota met his comrade's pale gaze, keeping silent.

Zyc sighed. "Lakota, Karin can take care of herself."

"She never takes this long."

"Lakota," he sighed, trailing off. His team mate's piercing blue eyes met his.

"What?" Lakota demanded, narrowing his eyes.

Zyc smirked.

"You worry too much," a high alto voice sounded in his ear as a kunai knife was pressed into the skin on his neck.

Lakota sighed. "And you're reactions are slow."

The girl laughed and withdrew her kunai as she gracefully disentangled herself from the blades that Lakota had pressed to her back.

"You aren't much better, little brother."

Lakota sighed and smirked. "So, Karin, what took you so long?"

The girl grinned, a slightly psychotic gesture. Lakota hesitated.

"Nevermind."

Zyc broke in impatiently, "So, do you want to resume training, or keep heading back to the village?"

Karin shrugged. "I'm looking around."

Lakota eyed his sister warily and gestured towards the training grounds, turning to walk in the opposite direction of his newly arrived comrade. Zyc sighed and muttered something about 'taking that as a no'.

Stalking away from his easily exciteble comrades, the red-haired boy made his way back to the training grounds and pulled out a scroll. Now that he was alone, he could really get his energy out. He formed several quick hand signs, concentrating on a water technique. His ears pricked and he turned around, sighing, and dropped his hands.

"You do know how rude it is to spy on people, do you not?," he said with an almost accusing tone. He watched as a girl stepped from the bushes, her cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment.

"Sorry, Lakota."

He stared at her for several seconds with uncertainty before smirking. "Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," he said, walking over to her.

She smiled. "Yeah. You and your cats. Mind if I train with you for a while?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow expectantly.

Lakota returned her smile, drawing a kunai knife. "Sure, Sakura."

* * *

**Meh. I didn't really like this chapter.**

**Arelia: Yes. It was kind of... abrupt.**

**Yeah, I guess. You notice how the 'narration camera' swapped from Motaki to Lakota in the middle? Yeah, I got bored with Motaki. And it was abrupt because... okay, so I've had writer's block for the past month. It's not my fault. And I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long. Flames will be accepted for that.**

**Arelia: It also does not help when Kishimoto-sensei is lacking in inspirational reading lately...**

**Yeah. That doesn't help either, does it?**

**Please review. If you're taking the time to read this sad little attempt of a fanfiction, at least have the decency to save what little sanity I have left. Besides, now I'm giving away free cookies. And they're the good kinds, too... Not that cardboard stuff you get at the market...**


	5. Surprise, surprise

**Yes, I do understand that it has been I-don't-know-how-many months since I last updated. I've gotten really bad about that.**

**Daisuke: Obviously...**

**What?! How did you get out of the closet? I thought I had you tied up and gagged in there with the rest of my characters...?**

**Daisuke: -grins like cheshire cat- Naw. Narricissa-chan let me out because you kept forgetting to feed me.**

**Well, if you don't want to go back in there, you'd better say the disclaimer...**

**Daisuke: NYROC OWNS NOTHING!**

**Except you.**

**Daisuke: Yes. Except me.**

**And....**

**Daisuke: Motaki, Lakota, Zyc, Karin, ...**

**And all the other junk he's too lazy to remember.**

**Yeah. Please read and review. I'm really trying to update, but I have to keep my priorities in order.**

**Thanks,**

**Nyroc**

* * *

Look through the eyes of a child, and only then will you see life for what it is truly worth.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Surprise, surprise...**

* * *

The girl flopped to the ground helplessly, her sides heaving. She swept a strand of light reddish-pink hair from her forehead and looked up with green eyes at her opponent. The boy laughed lightly, sitting down next to her.

"Brings back memories, huh?," he asked easily, leaning back into the soft, shaded grass that outlined the training circle.

Sakura nodded breathlessly.

Lakota laughed again, an easy, low, rolling sound. "Of course, that was back where we didn't die of heat stroke by moving a centimeter..." he muttered good-naturedly.

Sakura playfully punched him in the arm. "Snow-crazy freak," she teased. The boy grinned.

"Yeah, but you love me anyways," he said teasingly.

Sakura punched him not-so-playfully in the stomach, then grabbed her hand. "Damn it!" she yelped, cradling her hand.

The boy shot into an upright position. He sighed, standing and lifting the girl gently to her feet.

"Let's get you to Tsunade. She needs to see me anyways."

* * *

The two shinobi jumped as the bushes to their left parted, revealing a small, red-headed girl. She danced over to the pair lightly.

"Motaki-chan, we've been summoned," she said in a soft, high alto voice.

Motaki sighed and stood slowly, stretching her aching muscles. Her companion gave a curious glance at the newcomer.

"Naruto, this is Karin. Karin, this is Naruto," she said off-handedly. Karin waved, four centimeters from Naruto's nose, in a fast, eggagerated gesture.

"Uhh... hi?" Naruto mumbled uncertainly. The girl grinned broadly.

"Let's go, Karin. We don't want to keep the Hokage waiting," Motaki spoke in a low, even voice. She walked almost silently to the path that led through the woods to the center of the Leaf Village.

Karin grabbed Naruto's hand. "You're coming, too," she said quickly, and dragged him after Motaki in an impatient, childish manner.

* * *

"Fast as usual," came Tsunade's voice as the trio entered the office. Naruto spied Sakura standing with one of the boys from Motaki's village in the corner, wrapping her hand in some bandages. They both looked up as the three approached the Hokage's desk.

"'Kody, where's Zyc?" Karin asked quietly as she danced over to Lakota. She looked up as the boy entered the office, closely followed by Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Hinata. Both looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"I'm right here. Chill," he said. He turned his pale lavender eyes to the Hokage. "I assume this is fairly urgent, then?"

Tsunade nodded as the eight shinobi lined up in front of her. Motaki narrowed her eyes.

"What's going on?" she asked.

The Hokage sighed. She looked at Motaki uncertainly.

"It looks like you four are going to have to stay a bit longer than you planned."

Lakota took a step back. "You don't mean..."

Tsunade looked at him. As a medic, of course he could infer as to what was up. She grimaced and nodded. Lakota closed his eyes and waited for her to say it.

"There's been an epidemic outbreak in the Shade Village."

* * *

**Wow. I think that's the shortest chapter I've ever written in the history of forever.**

**Daisuke: Yeah. Nyroc would know, considering how ancient Nyroc is...**

**Quiet, you. I have plenty of room left in that closet.**

**Yeah, not much happened in this chapter. I figured I had to post something, but was too lazy to write a sixteen page chapter so... bear with me. I'm trying, okay?**

**Oh, yeah. And this is the part where you leave a review. Please. Reviews will be used to improve my writing, and flames will be used to set Sasuke's pants on fire, just because he deserves it.**

**And thanks for reading this far. I appreciate it.**


	6. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Ahahahahahah. Reading back through this, I realized how incredibly awful this is. Since that's the case, **I'm putting this story on a permanant hiatus.**

This version will still be up for as long as this account is active. However, I will not continue to write it. **I may begin again and re-write this, but will keep this version up for comparison.**

I'd apologize for letting people down, but I haven't updated in probably two or three years and, well, I don't think I have many readers anyways. ^^;

Toodles, folks.

-Nyroc out.


End file.
